Learn about your roof
Short, plain guides for homeowners deciding what to do about an aging asphalt shingle roof.
Preserve or replace? How to tell
Replacement is the right call when the roof structure has failed: soft decking, sagging, widespread missing shingles or granules worn down to the mat. Preservation is the right call when the structure is sound and the shingles are aging from the surface: fading, brittleness and early granule loss.
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The honest way to tell is an inspection that looks at decking and granules, not just roof age. Two roofs the same age can be in very different shape depending on sun exposure, ventilation and maintenance. Ask for photos of every slope and a written reason for whatever is recommended.
What granules in your gutters are telling you
Granules are the shingle's sunscreen. Some shedding is normal on a new roof, but steady granule loss on an older roof means bare asphalt is being exposed to UV, which speeds up every other kind of aging.
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Look for dark patches on the roof where granules are gone, and for granules collecting at downspout outlets. Catching this early is what makes a roof a candidate for preservation; waiting until the mat shows usually means replacement.
Granules in your gutters?
What granule loss means and whether preservation can help.
Dark streaks on your roof?
Algae, moss and lichen, and how they come off safely.
Shingles curling or cracking?
When it can be slowed, and when the roof is too far gone.
Why silicone
Where silicone came from, why sunlight can’t break it, and what it took to make it work on asphalt shingles.
A roof is a system
Why preservation starts with the structure, flashings, ventilation and workmanship, not just the shingles.
Roof age versus roof condition
Why insurers go by age, and what it takes for condition to count instead.
Coatings, rejuvenators and NANOROOF: what's the difference?
A surface coating forms a film over the granules. A penetrating treatment, such as a soy-based rejuvenator or a nano-silica penetrant, soaks into the asphalt but leaves nothing on top. NANOROOF penetrates and bonds inside the shingle and also forms a protective layer on top.
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Each approach targets a different part of the failure loop. Films protect the surface but don't reach the drying asphalt and can lift as the shingle moves. Penetrating treatments reach the asphalt but leave no protective layer on top. Treating inside and on top works on both. See the full comparison.
Roof age and your homeowner's insurance
Many insurers now ask about roof age at renewal or when you buy a home, and some limit coverage on older roofs. Rules differ by insurer and state.
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Preservation doesn't change your roof's installation date, and we can't promise how any insurer will treat a preserved roof. What helps is documentation: a Roof Record with dated photos, readings and a registered warranty gives an inspector evidence of condition rather than just a number of years.